10 New App Store Games To Watch [Sep. 19 - 25]

The star of the week is Another World – 20th Anniversary, which ironically is a 20 year old game. Still, it looks good, sounds good, and actually feels like a fresh take on gaming despite its age. There were also a couple of intriguing shooters this time around. BulletZone takes away your weapons to test how well you can dodge enemy fire. EnbornX, on the other hand, has you fighting the same boss over and over again. Unfortunately, each time you destroy it the thing gets stronger and stronger. Finally, fans of The Sims can kick it old school with The Sims Medieval, which takes the popular franchise back to the days of knights and damsels in distress. You can take on the role of a serf or a king, or even check out what it would have been like to be a vampire during those times.

BulletZone – I think this one is made especially for those that like the type of scrolling shooters known as “bullet hell” shooters. You have 70 levels of bullet dodging action. The more bullets you dodge in a row the stronger your “chain” gets and the higher your score goes. Your chain also improves if you let the bullets get close before you dodge them. The kicker is that you can’t shoot, so there is no way to dispatch the source of the bullets. Can you be nearly as fearsome a pilot without any weapons? The game supports three difficulty levels, and special hidden mode once you’ve completed the Hard difficulty, and a single life Endless mode to really test your mettle. You’ll receive a ranking for each level based on your performance, and the game is also integrated with Game Center for achievements and bonuses. It’s time to prove that your flying skills are as good as your shooting skills.

T1 Online – This is a real time online tank combat game playable over WiFi or 3G. You don’t actually have to register, which is actually pretty cool. Every day when you connect you can earn free “cash” (no, not real money) that I’m assuming is used to buy items in the game, and the first time you connect you get a bonus cash flow. Of course, it will be interesting to see how the game keeps track of all this since you don’t have to register. There are various tanks to choose from, and you can get items within the game to increase your power and speed. It looks like a pretty simple game from a game play perspective, but it’s online, it’s multiplayer, and it’s free. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Another World – 20th Anniversary – I feel kind of like I’m cheating with this one, because not only have a played it but I’ve already written a review on it. The reason I include it in this list is because it’s one of the best games I’ve played in quite a while. In my review I said it was “definitely a platform game”, but the more I think about it the game is a solid adventure game with an action / platform overtone. While there aren’t a lot of cut scenes there is certainly a story being told, and the fact that you work with a computer controlled NPC makes the experience feel even more like interactive fiction. The graphics have a very artistic feel that works even though they aren’t rendered with the latest 3D technology, and the sound makes the world come alive. The most amazing facet of this game is that it’s actually 20 years old, yet it feels fresh and innovative. I certainly would recommend not missing this one.

Zombie Hunters – It’s been a little while since I’ve had a zombie game on the list, so I figured it was time again. In this case you take on the role of two concerned citizens, Larry and Gary, as they take on the undead forces that are overrunning their town. You worry about maneuvering the pair around the screen, while the game handles the shooting. You can, however, launch grenades at your will – as long as you have some. You can upgrade Larry and Gary’s hunting skills and attributes between the 63 levels that span 3 unique settings. There are 8 different types of zombies to fight, and several gadgets to help you on your mission, including booze hats. I just hope they’ve set this game up in such a way that new areas and weapons can be added.

The Cleveland Show Dance Off – I’ve never seen the show, but I must admit that I would not have expected The Cleveland Show to be subject of a rhythm game. Yet here it is, and hopefully fans of the character will find some amusement in this offering. You can choose from 1 of 4 different themes for Cleveland, including the “naked opossum” option (you’ll have to research that one on your own). Then you’ll have to swipe and tap to help Cleveland keep moving to the beat. There are 20 dance moves to master, and Game Center leaderboards and Facebook achievements will help you announce your progress to your friends. The artwork captures the essence of Cleveland, and voices from the show add authenticity to the audio. I don’t see this becoming the next Tap Tap game, but if you like the show, now’s your chance to get your groove on.

The Sims Medieval – It’s been a long time since I’ve played a game in the Sim series, and I don’t think I’ve ever played one of “The Sims” line specifically (I was more of a Sim City fan). However, this latest installment of the franchise sounds like it takes a different spin on things. You can play anyone from the lowly serf to the mighty king, and even thrown in a vampire for some old-school Goth. You help build up the kingdom and adorn your quarters with the appropriate fashion, and then head out to complete quests, almost giving the game an RPG feeling. You can cast spells as a mighty wizard, or maybe take on an adversary with a duel. You can even fish for your food or go on quests that you later brag about through bard like story telling. If you haven’t yet delved into The Sims, maybe this blast from the past will brighten your outlook on the franchise.

Mysterious Castle – This is an interesting take on the Rogue-like genre. It certainly has the rouge-like look, complete with graphics that have shown up in a number of low budget rogue-like games over the years. It is nice to see an isometric layout which, while not unheard of isn’t very common, either. More importantly, though, is the actual game play. You actually have a party of characters instead of single adventurer. You also fight via turn based tactical combat instead of just running your character into the bad guy until they day. Purists might argue that this doesn’t really qualify as a rogue-like then, but whatever you want to call it, the game sounds interesting. Levels are generated every time you play to increase the replay value, and even though the combat is turn based the description promises fast paced action. Combine all that with simplified controls for your mobile device, and this could be the next evolution of rogue-likes.

Robbin’ ‘Hood – MMO games are getting almost as overcrowded as anything else these days, but at least this one has a bit of a twist. You take on the role of a budding thief who is being trained by a Thief Ninja to become the best in the world. You’ll build an army of henchmen to help fulfill your sticky fingered needs. There will be missions to complete and treasures to collect, and more importantly, treasures to steal from other players. You can make allies, join groups, or simply sit back and taunt other players as you swipe their goods. The game works with both your iPhone and iPad and is currently free to play, though there are plenty of IAP options for quickly filling your coffer or recruiting henchmen.

EnbornX – I love scrolling shooters, and I’m always looking for someone to do something a little bit different with them. Whether it’s for better or worse, I think EnbornX qualifies. You play an armored girl that is basically trying to defeat the same boss over and over again. Every time you defeat the boss it spawns into something more brutal and horrible. Your goal is to defeat each iteration of the monster as quickly as possible and to last as long as you can. You’ll have 3 weapons to choose from, each with infinite ammo. Besides some quality hi-res graphics you can expect the screen to be full of bullets. OpenFeint is supported for leaderboards, so you can see how you compare against the world of evil boss slayers. ExbornX is a universal binary with free updates on the way. My one concern is that due to the limited nature of the enemy, the action might get repetitive quickly. It is nice to see developers trying something different, though.

Where’s My Water? – No one is perfect at handling licensed properties when it comes to video games, but over the years Disney has done a pretty good job of farming out their material to people that can make good use of it. Still, it’s nice to see them releasing fresh IP on the iOS platform, which as far as I know is the case with Where’s My Water? This puzzle game features a friendly alligator named Swampy that just wants to take a bath with his rubber ducky. The game contains four themed chapters with a total of 80 levels and the promise of more on the way. Multi-touch control will help you guide the water away from things like algae and toxins and into Swampy’s tub. Cute graphics and a cool soundtrack will draw you in, while an ever unfolding story will keep you coming back for more. There’s no question that puzzle games are popular on the iOS platform, so hopefully this one has what it takes to rise above the crowd.

Well that wraps up another week of games to watch on the App Store. As always, if there’s something you’ve played from the past week that you feel should be part of this list, please leave a reply to this post.